Archive for December, 2014

Through 3 p.m. EST on December 25th (tomorrow!) Gyft is offering up $5 off a $25 gift card purchase when you head here and enter the promo code LASTMIN at checkout (limit one code per user). Also, if this is your first time signing up for Gyft you should receive another $5 off $15 credit to use toward a second gift card. You can choose from Home Depot, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Target and more! My husband and I are remodeling our basement, so we went with two $25 Home Depot gift cards, and we paid $20 each!

Note that Amazon gift card purchases are not eligible for this discount.

Through December 31, you can get BOGO admission to the Knoxville Zoo! Here’s all the information, from their website:

Beginning December 1 through December 31, 2014, tickets to Knoxville Zoo are buy one, get one free! So, wake up and put on a warm jacket and a pair of mittens and come see why winter is a great time to visit the zoo! Many of the zoo’s animals enjoy the crisp weather and are more active on cooler days. The zoo’s new favorite indoor exhibit, Wee Play Adventure, is a cozy place to stop and play if you do decide to get a bit chilly. On days that the temperature drops below 40 degrees, some animals will be moved to their indoor enclosures, but even on the coldest of days, guests can see the elephants, gorillas, penguins, reptiles and chimpanzees in their indoor viewing areas. Buy one, get one free tickets must be used by December 31, 2014 and cannot be combined with any other coupon or discount.

Also, through 12/28, buy any 4 participating items at Target and you’ll get a free $5 Target gift card. Suave Kids shampoo/conditioner is included in this deal and it is priced as low as $1.52 per bottle (at our local Target, I found it for $1.89/bottle). So, if you purchase 4 bottles at $1.89 each, you’ll spend $7.56 (plus tax) out of pocket and get back a $5 Target gift card, making it kind of like getting them for as low as $0.64 each! If you can find it for $1.52/bottle, you’ll be paying $0.27/bottle!

Right now you can print a new $1.50/2 any BAND-AID first aid products coupon, and then use this coupon to score a fabulous deal at Walgreens! Through 12/27, when you buy two select Band-Aid Brand Character bandages, you’ll score 2,000 Balance Rewards points. These bandages are also on sale 2/$5, plus, they are also ringing up buy 1 get 1 50% off.

Here’s the deal:

Buy 2 Band-Aid Brand Character Bandages 2/$5
Minus the buy 1 get 1 50% off sale = $3.75 for 2 packages
Use the $1.50/2 any BAND-AID First Aid products coupon
Pay $2.25
Get back 2,000 Balance Rewards points (= a $2 reward)
Like paying $0.25 for both packs!

Double Take Offers has a deal for Subs-N-Such in Maryville: pay $10 for $20 to spend on subs, sandwiches, salads, and more (including REALLY great sweet tea!) There are very limited quantities of this voucher, so if you’re interested, I’d hurry! Go here to check out the deal.

Experience an Edwardian Christmas at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge this year! Step back in time and see how the Titanic Grand Staircase and ship would have been decorated in the 1912 Edwardian period. The entire ship will be lit up for Christmas with lights and Christmas trees galore. My family has always enjoyed seeing the Titanic at Christmas. I hope to make it up there this year, so stay tuned for our family’s review!

I recently had the chance to read Lizzy & Jane, by Katherine Reay. This fiction book was released on October 28, 2014 by Thomas Nelson.

About this book (from Goodreads.com):

Lizzy and Jane never saw eye to eye. But when illness brings them together, they discover they may be more like Austen’s famous sisters after all.Lizzy was only a teenager when her mother died of cancer. Shortly after, Lizzy fled from her home, her family, and her cherished nickname. After working tirelessly to hone her gift of creating magic in the kitchen, Elizabeth has climbed the culinary ladder to become the head chef of her own New York restaurant, Feast. But as her magic begins to elude her, Paul, Feast’s financial backer, brings in someone to share her responsibilities and her kitchen. So Elizabeth flees again.

In a desperate attempt to reconnect with her gift, Elizabeth returns home. But her plans are derailed when she learns that her estranged sister, Jane, is battling cancer. Elizabeth surprises everyone—including herself—when she decides to stay in Seattle and work to prepare healthy, sustaining meals for Jane as she undergoes chemotherapy. She also meets Nick and his winsome son, Matt, who, like Elizabeth, are trying to heal from the wounds of the past.

As she tends to Jane’s needs, Elizabeth’s powers begin to return to her, along with the family she left behind so long ago. Then Paul tries to entice her back to New York, and she is faced with a hard decision: stay and become Lizzy to her sister’s Jane, or return to New York and the life she worked so hard to create?

My Verdict:

I reviewed Reay’s first book, Dear Mr. Knightley, last fall, and it is still at the top of my list of favorite books. I was a little nervous to read Lizzy & Jane, as I worried that it wouldn’t live up to the high standards set by Reay’ first book. I shouldn’t have worried: I loved this book, too. It’s different in focus from Dear Mr. Knightley, but still has the same tendency to reference great literary works, especially those of Jane Austen. The love story is adorable, and the relationship between the sisters, named Lizzy & Jane after Austen’s famous sister duo in Pride & Prejudice, is very real. My only concern was that some of the pop culture references were very recent, and I can only hope that they stay as relevant as years pass, instead of making this book feel dated. Also, since the main character is a chef, there’s a “foodie” element to the book that didn’t resonate with me, as I am pretty much the opposite of a chef, however, for readers who enjoy the culinary arts, that angle will probably prove very enjoyable! Regardless, this book is beautifully written and I highly recommend it as an enjoyable read during the Christmas break.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you). I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Vienna Coffeehouse Players will present a dramatic reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on December 16 at 7 p.m. These readings are done in the style of 1940’s-era live radio show, with costumes and sound effects, and they’re really fun! I took my daughter to their reading of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and she really enjoyed it, so we’ll be back for this one too!